Welcome Home
by LittleMissMuppet
Summary: After 2 years in Uganda, Marie Price's older brother Kevin is finally coming home! OC: Marie Rachel Price, Kevin's little sister! AU: The excommunication debacle never happened. So Kev is still in the church and all! ;)


**Well here it is, y'all! My first story AND my first Book of Mormon fanfic! Hope you like it!**

**I don't own Book of Mormon, all rights go to their respective owners!**

I plastered my face to the warm car window as we pulled up to Salt Lake City International Airport. My exhales fogged up my view, but I didn't care. However, a slight glance to the side was met with a disapproving look from my dad in the rearview mirror, indicating that someone else cared, so I took the hint and retreated from the window. But I just couldn't help it. Was I the only one excited to see Kevin again? After two whole years of nothing but letters?

For 24 extremely long months (yet at the same time, they somehow went by super fast), my oldest brother Kevin had been serving his time as a missionary in Uganda, and the day had finally come to pick him up from the airport and bring him home! As my father searched for a parking spot, a flood of memories washed over me. The heartbreaking drop-off at the airport two years ago, where many tears were shed by all of us. The family prayer we all said as soon as we got back to the car, our first family prayer without Kevin. The painful silence on the drive home. Jack and I falling asleep that night in Kevin's otherwise-empty bed. The jitters I would get every day after school in hopes that there would be a letter from Kevin waiting for me in the mailbox when I got home; then either a rush of excitement if there was one, or a slump of disappointment if there wasn't.

Oh yes! The letters! Eventually there were so many that I decorated a special box to keep them in. On weekends when I was missing him most, I would open the box and read each letter one by one. Each one was unique, yet nearly all carried a similar message: He misses and loves me, and he got the pictures we sent and he can't believe how much Jack and I have been growing, and even though we are far apart, two years will be up before we know it and he will be home! And he was right.

I stole a look at my other brother Jack, who had dropped off to sleep before we had even left our driveway. No longer would it just be me and him. Now I once again would have two brothers to lovingly pester. Jack would no longer have to feel alone. And neither would I.

Although I seemed extremely excited to see Kevin (which for the record I totally was), deep down inside I was also super scared. Yes, scared to see my brother again. How did Uganda change him? 2 years was definitely a long time...Kevin was 19 when we first said our goodbyes, with 9-year-old me clinging to his leg, in tears and begging him not to go until he boarded the plane. Letting him go was the hardest day of my young life. What if he had forgotten? Forgotten the movies we used to watch together, forgotten the songs we used to sing...forgotten the nights we used to cuddle?

I nervously brought my hand to my necklace, a golden cross with an M embedded with diamonds (my birthstone) on it. Kevin had given it to me right before he left. In fact, it was the last thing he gave me before he got on the plane. Right before he boarded, he kneeled down to look me in the eyes, and said he had one last surprise for me. He took a little black box out of his pocket, and with a sweet smile that only he could possess, he opened it up. My mouth fell open. It was gorgeous. "I bought this for you, my sweet baby sister," he said. "I think it'll help you not miss me too much." He extracted it from the box and latched it around my neck. I tearfully thanked him and fell into his arms for an umpteenth last hug. After he left, I wore that necklace every single day. And Kevin was right; whenever I felt sad or upset, all I had to do was touch it...and it was like Kevin was right there with me. That necklace provided comfort when I needed it most.

This time, as I touched it, I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer. _Please, Heavenly Father...Please don't let Kevin have changed TOO much...Please...Even if he __has__ changed, even just a little bit...just let me know that deep down inside, the Kevvie I love is still there... _

My mom's voice brought me back to the present. "Marie. Marie!" she called. The way she said it, she must have said my name four times already. I snapped my head up from prayer position. Sheesh, I've never been _that_ distracted before. "We're here, hon," she said. My face lit up. I unbuckled my seatbelt and shook Jack awake.

We got to the gate right as the plane was landing. I dashed to the window and repeated the car scenario, nearly slamming my face against the window and spreading apart my fingers, my eyes frantically scanning for maybe a fraction of a glimpse of my brother through the tiny windows of the airplane. My mother snapped her fingers and called me back over to her, reminding me to help hold our sign.

Oh yes! Our sign! For three straight days, the giant sheet of paper had taken up residence on our dining room table and now it was finally ready to display. The words "WELCOME HOME KEVIN!" were meticulously painted on it by my mother, with little drawings done by each family member filling the rest of the sheet. We had decorated the house as well for a little family party, just the five of us, but that would come later. We planned to spend a fun family day in Salt Lake City, then go home and have cake to celebrate Kevin's homecoming. The sign was just big enough for the four of us to hold; Jack and I each held up one side while our parents stood in the middle.

Finally, a familiar face with a familiar head of brown hair, wearing a familiar missionary uniform with a _very_ familiar nametag pinned upon it emerged from the runway. All of our faces lit up and we held up our sign a little higher. Kevin's eyes scanned the area for us, and when they finally landed on us, his face lit up as well and he briskly began to walk towards us. I fought to stay put and help hold the sign, my brain ordering my legs to be still...but my legs did not obey. They couldn't wait one second longer. My hands released my side of the sign, my knees jerked, and I took off. Taking the hint, Kevin stopped, kneeled slightly, and threw his arms open, the brightest smile in the entire world on his face. I nearly knocked him over when I finally reached him, but he managed to steady himself.

He lifted me up and twirled around in a circle, just like he used to do, and planted a tender kiss on the side of my head. My brain, once again attempting to gain some authority, ordered my tears to stay back, but I was so overcome with emotion, that once again I disobeyed. The tears flowed freely, spilling all over my face and Kevin's shoulder into which it was buried.

I was so hysterical I could barely speak. All I could manage was, "You're home!" Kevin released me from the hug, and I could see his eyes were brimming with tears. "I'm home!" he replied. We were both smiling so hard, our faces hurt.

We looked up. Mom, Dad, and Jack were approaching us, and the five of us proceeded into the most poignant family hug in Price family history. We were finally all back together again.

...

Later that night, I sat on my bed, doodling in my journal. Kevin had bought it for me right before he left to write my feelings in while he was gone. But even after two years, it still had some space left over, so why let it go to waste? From my colored pencils, I poured out loops and lines, hearts and stars, flowers, trees, and crosses. I drew mindlessly, letting my imagination wander off to distant fantasy worlds as I listened to my family perform their nightly ablutions and retire to their respective hideaways. The sound of the TV resonated through my wall from my parents' room, and little video game sound bytes crept through my door from Jack's room. Not too much later, I could make out the familiar _beep_ signaling the Xbox being switched off and then rustling sounds as Jack crawled into bed. His soft micro-snores were heard minutes later. My parents' TV droned on for a little longer with the nightly news, but eventually the newscast was stopped dead in its tracks and the clicking of the lamp that followed meant that my parents were settling in for the night.

I glanced at my clock. 10:42. I sat back for a moment and listened to the silence. It felt a little strange knowing that this was Kevin's first night in our house in two years. But it also felt a little good, too, knowing that Kevin was home and my family was all back together again.

All of a sudden, I had an urge. I wanted to see Kevin. We had all been together as a family all day (we'd gone shopping, bowling, mini-golfing, and my brothers and I even got to battle each other in laser tag), but I hadn't gotten a minute alone with him. Now was my chance. My chance to get some much-needed one-on-one time with my biggest brother. Maybe even...cuddle again. If he remembered..._Would he remember?_

I quietly snapped my journal shut, crept out of bed, switched off my lamp, and blindly found my way to the door and down the hall. Kevin's room was right next door to mine, with Jack's being further down the opposite way, so I didn't have far to go.

I tentatively nudged the door open. The room was pitch-black, but with the beacon of light streaming down from the skylight in the hallway, I could faintly see Kevin in bed. The silence that met me told me that he was sound asleep _Would he remember?_ As quietly as I could, I shuffled up to the side of the bed. With one gentle hand, I shook Kevin awake.

He rolled over and blinked himself awake. "Hey, sis," he drawled sleepily. "Something wrong?"

I suddenly froze up. I felt awkward and silly, being 11 years old and still asking to cuddle up with my brother. I was glad there was barely any light in the room, so Kevin wouldn't see my cheeks glowing pink with embarrassment. So I tried to keep it casual. "Oh, I just couldn't sleep," I said.

Kevin propped himself up on his elbow. I don't mean to brag, but I have pretty remarkable night vision, and I could almost clearly see Kevin's eyebrows crease with concern. "Yeah?" he replied.

"Yeah," I said. I took a deep breath. "And I was feeling kind of lonely," I added. It never hurts to be honest, especially with family.

_Would he remember? _I jerked my head downwards towards the bed. "Can I?" I nervously asked. With a warm smile, Kevin pulled back the covers. "You sure can," he replied. "It's been too long."

_He remembered._ I silently rejoiced in my head, on the verge of happy tears again as I crawled into the open space and lovingly snuggled up to Kevin's chest as he tucked me under the sheets. He put his arm around me and held me close. I reveled in the moment, memories filling my head. The memory of when I was four years old and fled my bedroom seeking comfort from my parents after a nightmare. The memory of when, out of terror, I accidentally ran into Kevin's room instead. The memory of him waking up and inviting me into his arms even after I tried to retreat, embarrassed. The memory of agreeing and cuddling up to him, sobbing. The memory of him rubbing my back...an action which put me at ease almost immediately, and I knew I was safe. The memory of falling asleep in his arms, and then waking up to find that I was still snuggled up to him. I remembered. _He remembered._

And right when I was about to drift off, I felt Kevin's hand gently and slowly start to rub my back. _He remembered_. I snuggled in even closer. "Welcome home, big brother," I whispered.


End file.
